


Lifeline

by ladyjax



Category: Leverage
Genre: AU, Cops, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 01:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5438633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/pseuds/ladyjax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliot and Parker are cops on a mission.  H is the voice on the other end of the phone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifeline

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theron09](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theron09/gifts).



> One of the prompts was ". AU - they're cops, not thieves. " At the very least, Eliot and Parker are cops. Hardison is their CI. I was hoping to make this longer but for the moment, it's not. However, I hope you the enjoy the "what if", theron!

“Spenser, my office. Bring your partner with you!”

Captain Sterling’s voice cut across the noisy squad room and immediately put Eliot’s teeth on edge. He huffed out a sigh then looked over at his partner. Parker had been working on the lock on a pair of handcuffs. 

“What does he want now?” she asked.

“Damned if I know,” Eliot replied. “C’mon.”

They both got up from their seats, with Parker sweeping her project into her pocket. She was always working on a lock of some sort; she maintained that it stopped her from being bored. Bored or not, it was skill that Eliot appreciated on more than one occasion. 

As they made their way across the squad room, Parker took one step closer to Eliot which put her close to his right shoulder. With her at his back, Eliot felt some of the itch that had taken permanent residence between his shoulders since they’d transferred in decrease a fraction. This close to their goal one wrong step and it would all come undone.

When they reached the captain’s office, Parker slipped from behind Eliot and into a chair in the corner of Sterling’s office. The weaselly commander of the Five Two spared her a glance and a curl of his lip before settling on Eliot who’d opted to lean against the closed door and stare at Sterling.

“Is it too much to ask for either of you to actually show some respect when you’re in my office? And in case you’re wondering, this isn’t a rhetorical question.” Sterling said.

Eliot shrugged. “Sorry. Don’t mean to be disrespectful.” His tone belied otherwise.

Parker shifted in her seat, feet shuffling on the floor as she set herself to defend him if necessary. 

The captain looked from one partner to the other before leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers thoughtfully. “You two have been here for what, two, almost three weeks? You seem to be settling in quite nicely.”

“Seems like,” Eliot answered. Parker stayed quiet. Alternately quiet and manic, she made more than a few people in the squad nervous. Eliot maintained that you just needed to know what worked with her and go with that. It was approach that worked between them for years. “We’re doing okay.”

“Well, I like to keep tabs on how my people are doing.” Sterling sat up straight and flipped through a folder on his desk. “Your clearance rate is very good. Didn’t leave too many cases open behind you when you transfered out of your last unit.”

Parker shrugged. “We’re good,” she mildly. “That’s what you want here, right? Good cops?”

“Of course,” Sterling replied. He smiled tightly and would have continued the conversation but for Eliot’s phone suddenly going off. 

Eliot pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “Parker. Let’s roll.”

She was out of her chair between one breath and the next. 

“Spencer!”

“Message from a old CI,” Eliot held up his phone and waved it. “Got some information that we’ve been waiting on.”

Something flickered in Sterling’s eyes, too quick for Eliot to catch but he noted the moment when Sterling seemed to pull back in on himself. “Well then. Carry on.” He made a shooing motion with his hands that the pair were only too happy to take advantage of.

It was only when they were out and in their car that Eliot finally started to relax. When his phone rang again, Parker put it on speaker.

“Hey there, kids!”

“H!” Parker clapped her hands delightedly at the smooth sound of their CI. “Your call saved us from a fate worse than death.”

“Oh really?” H’s voice was smooth and soothing. “Pretty lady, I’m always here to save you.”

“How do you know she’s pretty?” Eliot asked as he turned the corner to head towards midtown. “We’ve never met in real life.”

A low chuckle greeted this observation. “I know she’s pretty just like I know you’re probably a hot hunk of manly man. I’ve told you before: voices never lie.”

“Yeah, well, people still do.”

“Fair enough.” There was a pause then H said, “I did cal for an actual reason. I have some intel for you but considering what it is, I don’t just want to tell you over the phone.”

Parker’s hand closed on Eliot’s thigh and squeezed. “Meet?”

Eliot’s hands clenched the steering wheel. “What’d you find, H?” 

There was a pause and then a sigh could be heard over the line. “Serious stuff. Pieces of what you were looking for. It’s not a trap if that’s what you’re thinking.”

They pulled up at a stop light and Parker turned to Eliot. “H, give us a minute.” She turned off the speaker phone.

“Parker.”

“Eliot,” She enunciated his name only when she was serious. “He’s never steered us wrong before. And you asked him to find out what he could. This was going to be dangerous any way we went about it.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Eliot bit out. He pulled over their car and parked it before slamming his hands against the steering wheel in frustration. “We’re so close, Parker. So close to being able to put Sterling and the rest of his merry little band behind bars but the evidence has to be solid.” 

Parker cupped her hand behind Eliot’s head and gently tugged him forward until their foreheads touched. “And it’s going to be,” she replied softly. “Let’s go meet him.”

**

Eliot and Parker abandoned their car for a quick ride on the subway that took them across town after a brief check in with H produced a meeting place and time. 

Robinette Cafe had seen better days but the coffee was hot and the food serviceable. The waitress led them to a table in the back and they sat down to wait.

Ten minutes. Eleven. Twelve. They’d reached fifteen when Parker suggested that perhaps she was wrong after all. When a young Black man walked up to their table, Eliot waved him off. “We’re gonna skip ordering and get out of here.”

The young man smiled. “Then you’d miss me apologizing to you for being late.”

“H?” Parker cocked her head to the side as a small smile form. He reached out and took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“In the flesh,” H replied. He let go of her hand and held his out to Eliot. “Seriously, I had to make a stop and pick up one last piece of information.” 

Eliot shook H’s hand and said, “Well, you’ve got us here.” He looked H up and down. “What’ve you got for us?”

H reached into the messenger bag at his side and pulled out a thick manila envelope which he handed to Eliot. “James Sterling is a piece of work and if even half of what I found can be substantiated, then you can put him away for a good long time but I get the feeling it won’t be easy.”

“And the last piece of information that made you late?”

The other man turned and said, “C’mon. It’s okay. They can help you.”

An older woman walked over from where she’d been standing near the counter. She had the look of the discreetly well off: Chanel suit, understated jewelry. “That remains to be seen, Mr. Hardison.”

Eliot and Parker looked at each other then back at the pair before them. “H. Hardison. Really?” 

“Man’s gotta have an alias,” the newly named Hardison replied with a shrug. “This is Sophie. When I was digging around on your case, her name popped up. I figured you three might have a lot to talk about.”

“And why is that?” Parker asked.

“Because Maggie Sawyer was my friend and she didn’t deserve to die because she fell in love with James Sterling.” Sophie said vehemently. 

“See what I mean?” Hardison got Sophie settled then held up a hand for the waitress. “Ma’am, we’re going to need coffee. Lots of it.”


End file.
